Marching Together

April 2020

Dear Friends,

Life as we know it has changed. Social distancing has become the new normal. This has impacted everyone across the globe and as I write this message I’m struck with the enormity of what we may face in the months ahead. Many of our Passover plans have changed or been canceled. That doesn’t mean that the holiday won’t happen, it will just happen in a very different way. We will still open our Haggadot and retell the story of our slavery and how we found the courage to flee from our oppressors and seek a land of freedom and a life of possibility. Even as we battle this deadly plague, each of us contains the DNA which was planted at the time of our redemption. We are the children of Israel, setting out to find our strength in time of crises, our courage in time of challenge, our collective hope in time of need. Although we are separated from our families, our friends and our communities, we are still part of this people, and this planet, connected and sustained by our common stories and our shared history.

Today we give thanks for the blessings we do have: homes, family, friends, community, technology and the ability to communicate through iPhones and computers! May we stay mindful of our gifts, even as we stay vigilant in helping those in need. Let us continue to pray and sing and celebrate in whatever way we can during these troubling times knowing that the light of healing and hope is just beyond the horizon. We may not be able to join hands physically, but we will march together toward freedom and health. Together, in creative ways, we will continue to forge the bonds of love and hope which keep us strong and connected during this Passover and Easter season. May it be so. Amen.